Back to Beautiful San Cristobal

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So, we're going back to San Cristobal today. We won't make the same mistake as yesterday and we'll have a good breakfast with lots of coffee, and make some stops on the way. especially since we didn't sleep well what with the festivities last night...

We packed up the car, but went to El Caldero for breakfast before checking out. Filled with coffee & food we left the hotel and drove to the Chiflon waterfalls. The roads were surprisingly good, especially once we got out of town and we made it to the falls in less than an hour. We paid the entrance fee (once). I'm guessing that the whole 'pay entry twice' scam is typical of the area between Ocosingo and Palenque, and nowhere else.

The Chiflon falls park is well organized, there's plenty of parking and it's laid out very nicely. There are stalls selling snacks and souvenirs, but not too many and they don't hassle you. Along the river there are picnic tables, some with brick barbecues. This is a place aimed at local families here for a day out.

Further along the path upstream the tables disappear and there are signs requesting visitors to keep the place clean, 'do not bring food beyond this point' & such. They really are trying to keep the place as pristine as possible.

The falls. First you see a smaller one, just a few meters high, but as you climb up the stairs another, higher one appears. There are some great places for photo-ops there, and even resting spots with benches in the shade.

Another effort up a long stairway and we came to the big one. Or ones. Towering above us was a series of three waterfalls, a short one followed immediately later by a huge, 120 meter cascade down to a level below us, then shortly after that a third, probably about 25-30 meters high. Huge amounts of water was pouring over the falls on the way to the Pacific. The noise! The spray! The wind generated by the falls! Amazing! So powerful! Beautiful!

All along the way we saw loads of butterflies; big ones, small ones, different shapes and every color you can imagine. Of course it was hot so they were very active and I only managed to get pictures of a few. But we also saw a couple different paper wasps and got pics of them (y'all know I love them insects).

We spent some time near the big fall, taking pictures and just enjoying the view along with the few other visitors there.

On the way down we stopped at one of the tables to try the rambutan fruit I bought yesterday. I checked online how to eat it (from Google):

Part 1 Eating a Rambutan


• Select a ripe rambutan. Rambutans start out green, then turn red, orange, or yellow as they ripen. ...
• Cut a slit in the skin. Hold the rambutan firmly on a flat surface, gripping both tips. ...
• Open the rambutan. ...
• Squeeze to pop out the fruit. ...
• Remove the seed. ...
• Eat the fruit.



We followed the directions. It looks a lot like lychee inside but the taste is much less lychee-like. I don't know quite how to explain it. It's sweet, but not quite as sweet as lychee, and has just a hint of the typical lychee flavor. I liked it, Tamar was indifferent.

After eating the rambutan we went back to the car. Our next stop, hopefully, is a nearby cenote called Chucumaltik, which I found by chance in Google Maps. It's not a long drive out of our way. We got there, but the place was closed, nothing but a chained gate. Oh well, we tried.

The drive took us back through Comitan, this time through the business district, I guess. Lots of traffic, traffic lights, chain stores, garages & such, but once out of town the road opened up. It was straight, wide and well maintained, and I kept feeling like we somehow missed the toll booth! The road was every bit as good as the toll road from Tuxtla to San Cristobal! The only difference was that every now and then it did go through a village with stalls along the road, and there were topes, but they were more like the bumpers in Israel - low, with gentle slopes that don't shake your teeth if you don't come to a full stop. They were well marked, and in some cases consisted only of painted markings on the road, with no bump! What a pleasure, especially after yesterday's drive!

About an hour after leaving Comitan behind we stopped at a place called Amatenango Del Valle, which consists of a bunch of roadside stalls selling local pottery. Turns out that the pottery from here is famous in the area for its detailed designs. There were all sorts of things, from the useful plates, cups and bowls to sculptures of jaguars and peacocks, armadillo piggy-banks and pigeon plant pots, all with bright colors and amazingly minute details. Several local women sit in the shade in traditional clothing and paint the pieces by hand with tiny brushes. I asked if I could take pictures but they were too shy. You have to respect their wishes, though I do wish I could film their work.

We bought a few things and then headed on. Google Maps mislead us a bit in Teopisca, because the main road through town was blocked and we had to make a slight detour.

The road got narrower as it rose higher into the hills, bends and twists started to appear, more like we had in the last couple days. And it started to rain. We twisted and turned up the road, through tope-laden villages (but the road was still quite good), the rain gradually getting harder, until it was belting down by the time we got to San Cristobal. Some of the roads were flooded, traffic was extremely slow as drivers 'waded' through the wash, and we were starting to worry that our time here would be ruined by the weather.

But I guess someone listened to our prayers, because by the time we reached the hotel the rain had almost stopped.

The San Luis hotel is just two blocks from the center of town, right across the road from the Iglesia de la Merced church and the amber museum. It has the usual little courtyard in the entrance with some old, decorative artifacts like an old typewriter and a marimba. The room is very nice, clean and comfy, and the internet here is fast! Finally a hotel with good connection! I can upload pictures, I can catch up with the blog!

So we got our stuff inside, set pictures to upload and went to town. We had a great time (again) trying out the local foods. We tried 'hishamoy', which is a vegetable apparently related to yams or sweet potato. It was sliced thin and put on a stick like a lollipop. The guy understood we didn't know what spice to choose, so he spiced one half with red sauce and chili, and the other with lime and salt. The vegetable is eaten raw and spiced. It has the consistency and crunch of kohlrabi, but the taste is reminiscent of pineapple, sweet but not nearly as sweet as pineapple. It actually goes very well with both spices and I liked it a lot!

We also tried out corn on the cob, Chiapas style - on a stick, lathered with mayonnaise, cheese, salt and a bit of chili sauce, but they used a different corn than we're used to, white with a few black kernels, and the consistency didn't sit right. It was kind of mushy instead of crunchy. I didn't like it. We then decided that tomorrow we wouldn't drive. I needed a rest! Instead we signed up for a tour to the Sumediro canyon. I'm a little worried about that as it is the touristy thing to do, and there is no English-speaking guide, but we decided what the hell? We're tourists after all. It turned out really well but you'll hear about that tomorrow.

We went back to the hotel to shower and change, rest a bit and put some cash in my wallet, but as we returned to the hotel a whole procession came from the opposite direction to the church. Leading the way was a pickup with a statue of the Virgin Mary (I presume), dressed in white. The pickup was pulling a trailer with another statue of Mary, this time with the baby Jesus, both dressed in white. Following them was a large group of men wearing some traditional uniform, all wearing a strange mask and wig, and behind them was a band of trumpets, drums, a tuba and other instruments, reminding me of something from New Orleans. Kids were setting off firecrackers, a policeman with a motorcycle joined the party with his siren now and then, and all the cars behind just waited patiently for the parade to end. The pickup stopped at the steps to the church, right outside our hotel, and the statues were very carefully offloaded and carried into the church, followed by the uniformed men and the band. Only then did the music and the firecrackers stop. Quite an interesting ceremony!

After freshening up we went into town again. We just can't get enough of the festival here. We tried churros, hot from the oil (delicious), taquitos (not bad) and skewered pork covered in all sorts of sauces, with an onion on top (absolutely dreamy). We got some sweets for tomorrow and went back to sleep.

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